Big board & small sail = no problem as long as the board SPEED isn't too much for the chop/wave conditions.

If you are fully powered with a small sail and going fast, the the board/sail combo may not work in rough water. However, if the sail is small enough for the wind conditions and the board speed is comfortable (not too fast), then you probably can manage the chop/waves with the large board.

At times, "you go with what you've got" and make the best of it. It's how we lean.

This is a great place for me to insert a recent photo I took of my weed fins. As you can see they differ greatly from each other in shape and rake. The Reaper 42, the one I posted about earlier in the thread, can be found in the middle of the pile second from the bottom. It really doesn't work well shedding weeds as it has a deep concave forward edge, but it trims well, especially as previously posted. The upright rake angle of 40 to 45 degrees and the large tip would be the technical reasons for the excellent trim.

5.7 on 141 liters should be fine. A smaller sail than recommended is not as problematic as a bigger sail than recommended. Like others have said, you might bounce around a bit, but you'll be alright.

There are some tuning things that you can do to make the small sail more comfortable on the big board.

1. Raise your boom significantly higher than you would if you were using the small sail on a small board. On a big board the sail will be leaned back and raked back more than usual, which will effectively lower the boom.

2. You might not have to change the harness line position at all, but you might have to move the lines forward a bit to avoid oversheeting the sail when you're in the outboard footstraps.

3. Smaller fin is not a bad idea, but don't overdo it. Also be aware that with a smaller fin, you may need to move the footstraps closer to the centerline of the board.

5.7 on 141 liters should be fine. A smaller sail than recommended is not as problematic as a bigger sail than recommended. Like others have said, you might bounce around a bit, but you'll be alright.

I disagree with this. First of all sailor weight should be entered in the equation. A heavy sailor won't want to use a sail that small unless there's serious waves or chop. A board that big can be dangerous in heavy weather. So far we have not gotten any feedback from coolio and he has not given out any personal information.

d0uglass wrote:

There are some tuning things that you can do to make the small sail more comfortable on the big board.

1. Raise your boom significantly higher than you would if you were using the small sail on a small board. On a big board the sail will be leaned back and raked back more than usual, which will effectively lower the boom.

2. You might not have to change the harness line position at all, but you might have to move the lines forward a bit to avoid oversheeting the sail when you're in the outboard footstraps.

3. Smaller fin is not a bad idea, but don't overdo it. Also be aware that with a smaller fin, you may need to move the footstraps closer to the centerline of the board.

4. I'd be inclined to move the mast track BACK rather than forward when using a small sail. I wouldn't move it forward unless the board was lifting off the water really bad.

If you are in no position to move to a smaller board, then following these tips might be helpful. Again, weather conditions often dictate your preparations. If I'm out on a day that has long lulls, big gusts and fairly smooth surfaces, I will choose a small sail. However, if I am lit on a board that is bouncing around too much and can't go smaller, I would consider two trim changes before quitting the water to sail another day. A weeder will make your board stick to the water better, but your blasting will feel crappy. In fact you want to bring the nose down and that would mean moving the mast track forward. I've also read that a slotted fin will help in these situations, but have never tried one.

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